Reasons to believe in
the Non-existence of Unicorns and Yetis
Many
descriptions of the characteristics and traits of unicorns and yetis
are curiously similar to those of known animals. Such descriptions
do not lend credibility to the existence of these creatures.
Unicorns and yetis exist in myths, legends and folk tales and some
have long traditions that date back more than two thousand years.
However, until today, there is no scientific evidence that proves
that such creatures exist. For example, the photographs that were
published together with Robert Vavra's journal about his expedition
to Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya were not - and could not be taken as -
scientific proof of the existence of unicorns. The same goes for the
photograph taken by Sir Edmund Hillary. It was highly questionable
whether the wide footprint in the picture was that of a yeti's.
Other purported "pieces of evidence" were
not credible as well. Firstly, the so-called "scalp of the Yeti" was
actually the red hair of a goat. Secondly, the severed hand that was
supposed to originate from a primate, believed to be of a yeti's,
conveniently disappeared. Thirdly, rumours of large mummified bodies
of yetis turned out to be fakes. In truth, the sightings of some
apes or creatures by Nepalese sherpas from Tibet in the past could
likely have evolved, or transformed, into traditional stories. Such
stories would be prone to distortions and exaggerations as they are
passed down through the generations. This can be illustrated by the
encounter between Reinhold Messner, a world renowned mountaineer,
with a creature that was possibly a Tibetan bear. The creature that
he met was referred to by villagers in a settlement as "chemo", the
Tibetan name for yeti.
